Kashmir's Darkest Hour: How Pakistan's 1947 Invasion Sparked Decades of Terror

October 22 is remembered as a "Black Day" in India and is meant to express condemnation for the violence and displacement started by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir. It was on this day in 1947 that the battle of Muzaffarabad began between the forces of Pakistan-backed Pashtun tribesmen which fought alongside Pakistani army regulars against the J&K State Forces of Maharaja of Kashmir.

"It was Pakistan's first armed attempt to seize and occupy J&K, which continues to this day. Thousands of Hindus and Sikhs were forced to flee PoK, while thousands more were murdered," a report in PJ Media highlighted.

Initially, both India and Pakistan had accepted the J&K offer of a standstill agreement. But on August 24, 1947, Pakistan threatened the Maharaja that 'should Kashmir fail to join Pakistan, the gravest possible trouble will inevitably ensue.' Within two months, Pakistan executed this threat and attacked Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) on October 22.

Enough proof has emerged which has revealed how the Pakistani army and government encouraged tribal communities to target Hindus and other non-Muslims. The operation was masqueraded as raids by tribal invaders. On October 22, the battle of Muzaffarabad was fought between a force of Pakistan-backed Pashtun tribesmen and Pakistani army regulars and the forces of the Maharaja of Kashmir (J&K State Forces), the report detailed.

The Pakistani army then directed the Lashkar members to Mirpur, Uri and Baramulla, who along the way created mayhem with murders, rapes and plunder. More than 20,000 Hindus and Sikhs were slaughtered by the invaders in Mirpur on November 25, 1947. Following the loot and mayhem, the Maharaja of Kashmir signed the Instrument of Accession to India on October 26, 1947, which led to India sending troops in state's defence.

"Kashmir's invasion by Pakistan eventually led to a UN-mediated ceasefire on January 1, 1949. Following the ceasefire, Pakistan remained in control of approximately one-third of the state while the remaining two-thirds were incorporated into India under Article 370 of India's Constitution. Along with Article 35A, this change defined residential and property rights by granting a special status to the state," the report in PJ Media mentioned.

The history of the Islamization of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), it emphasised, teaches many lessons regarding how demographics, culture, and political landscapes have changed as a result of Islamic invasions, mass murders, expulsions, and forced conversions.

"During the 1947 invasion of Kashmir by Pakistan, the barbaric loot and pillage shocked the world, changing the geography and culture of Kashmir. It marked the beginning of Pakistani-sponsored terrorism in J&K, a situation which continues to this day. The recent Pahalgam terror attack carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based internationally designated terror group, was yet another bloody chapter of this terrorism," it added.

- IANS